TV-like attention lifts YouTube past linear and CTV justifying a bigger slice of premium video budgets.
Digital TV dominates ad tiers, yet linear still delivers sports scale and stronger brand lift.
Recorded at the EMARKETER Creator Trends 2026 Virtual Summit, this panel explores how creator video is opening new territory for brands on CTV. EMARKETER Analyst, Emmy Liederman along with Nicole Marcus, Manager of Influencer Strategy at Dick’s Sporting Goods and Allison O’Keefe, Senior Manager, Influencer and Creator Marketing at Best Buy, discuss how to shape programming cadence, package content for bigger screens, measure ROI, ensure brand safety and suitability, and build partnerships that make the most of this expanding format. Listen everywhere you find podcasts and watch on YouTube and Spotify.
YouTube tops global media with $62 billion in revenues and over $40 billion in ads, putting it ahead of Disney and legacy TV combined.
45% of March Madness viewers skip the regular season, yet 9.4 million watched tournament games in 2025—unlocking reach on TV and streaming.
Adobe pushed an AI-powered update to Firefly that signals a turning point for the tech in video production.
Though Big Data + Panel is still accredited, the MRC raised concerns about “unusual results.”
Fire TV's new UI weaves ads across screens, tying CTV reach to retail data and programmatic scale.
Microdramas are winning daily attention; per-user viewing time now exceeds Netflix and Prime Video on mobile.
Commerce powers Netflix ads with an Amazon DSP integration that gives Netflix retail-grade targeting as CTV budgets focus on outcomes.
Versant's ad revenues fell 8.9% as pay TV shrinks and streaming nears half of viewing time, pressuring cable’s ad model.
By merging entertainment, info, and news, it’s compressing user behavior and forcing brands to rethink channel strategy.
HBO Max and Paramount+ are planning to merge, pairing scale with ad focus to court marketers.
Platform-agnostic user-generated content (UGC) accounts for 35% of influencer marketing campaigns worldwide, surpassing TikTok (21%) and trailing only Instagram (40%), according to a January report from Collabstr.
Streaming consolidation takes a surprise turn: Netflix’s deal exit hands WBD to Paramount, preserving a more diversified studio and ad model.
Esports and gaming creators represent two distinct but overlapping opportunities for marketers seeking to reach engaged audiences.
HubSpot, Canva, and Semrush build publisher arms to secure first-party reach as AI disrupts search.
AWS' new AI tool reformats live broadcasts for TikTok and Reels in seconds, unlocking scalable ad inventory.